Not just any Airdrie Naturopath

Last Wednesday's announcement by Alberta's health minister brought Naturopaths back into the spotlight in Alberta - at least until Canada's Olympic medals diverted the media's attention.  Yes, naturopathic doctors are now regulated under Alberta's Health Professions Act which now requires any person who calls themselves a "Naturopath" to have completed the correct schooling and also pass licensing exams. And, I'm very happy to be distinguished by this new regulation. 

What is still surprising to me is how some media still present naturopathic medicine to the public.  The National Post began its article on the new regulation by stating, "Homeopathy, chelation therapy and vitamin injections will soon be regulated procedures in the province of Alberta, which is rapidly becoming more friendly to alternative medicines that have little or no scientific backing."  Then, after acknowledging the extensive schooling required by ND's, the same article states, "almost without exception, [ND's] were advising controversial therapies and techniques such as homeopathy, vitamin supplements, colon cleanses, ozone therapy, hair analysis, chelation therapy and herbal remedies that insert lavages into the nasal canal."

Wow! Is this really what the "mainstream" Canadian public thinks naturopathic doctors do?!!  A brief read through the comments below the National Post article demonstrates how polar (and sadly misinformed) the public is about health care and this great disparity really doesn't do anyone any good.  Yes, not all naturopathic doctors are equal but that is a human characteristic that goes across any profession.

A student from the Arizona school (SCMN) was preceptoring at my clinic last week and reminded me that until ND's value themselves as more than just a "naturopath" and accept the responsibility that comes with Naturopathic Physician, it will be hard for the mainstream public to let go of some ideas about ND's.  Point taken.

Intro to Dr. Mom Naturopathic Doctor- The Blog!

Welcome friends and health seekers!

I'd like to introduce myself and this brand spankin� new blog...

My name is Briana Monroe and I am a 30-year old female who just received her Masters in Social Work with a concentration in Health from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  I also just moved back to where I�m from, Sacramento, CA.   

My mother�s name is Priscilla Monroe.  She is a Naturopathic Doctor with 20 years experience, and has been in practice in the Sacramento region since 1993.

Over the years, my mother and I have discovered so much conflicting health information, whether it was from magazines, Dr. Oz, online, or from friends and family.  Through research, trial and error, and the teachings of Naturopathic medicine, we would like to use current research and popular education to provide information to you.
  
This blog is a mother-daughter health conversation duo, hence the �Dr. Mom� bit.  This blog is designed as somewhat of a conversation between a consumer/citizen (myself) and a licensed Naturopathic Doctor (my mother) in order to provide as accurate of information as possible, and to dispel some health myths that are in circulation today. 

In the future, Dr. Monroe may be offering webinars around specific issues, and other interactive discussion and teaching options.  For now, we pick the topics, answer questions, and provide the conversation to help you, your friends and family gain control over your own health by empowering you with information.   

 About �Dr. Mom, Naturopath�:
A little about my mother and her journey as a Naturopathic Doctor seeking solutions to her own health problems: 

�I am a Naturopathic Doctor of 20 years and have a baccalaureate degree in Nursing that gave me experience in pediatric intensive care, orthopedic surgery, and working a general medical-surgical ward in an Army hospital in Germany.  I got married a little late in life, had three kids in two years; the second birth being twins.  Shortly after my children were born my mother was diagnosed with cancer and I took care of her at home until she passed.  By that time, I was in severe adrenal fatigue, experiencing asthma, chronic sinusitis, allergies, irritable bowel, irregular menstruation, and insomnia.  After being treated by traditional medicine with no relief, I discovered Naturopathic Medical School. 

The first thing I discovered was that I had lifelong food allergies.  Now don�t get me wrong, I wasn�t able to be perfect on the diet.  I felt I had to be a good mother, a good wife, and a good student.  The only place I knew how to screw up was with my diet periodically!  When I was able to be �good� I saw such a dramatic improvement in my health that it was increasingly easier to avoid the foods that caused me symptoms.  It is a hard transition to make, considering where we live, how our food is made, what we have access to, and how much of our socialization revolves around food. 

As I learned about adrenal fatigue and its role in my health problems including hormone production, allergies, sinus problems, and irritable bowel, I began to see big improvements as I was able to adhere to my diet.  With these lifestyle changes, diet changes, and herbs, I came back to my full health and energy.  
I realized that the migraines and long-term constipation that I suffered from as a child were due to food allergies as well.   

Luckily, (or unluckily, as the case may be) my three children and husband all had the same familial propensity for asthma and food intolerances/allergies.  My children have never had to be on any drugs for their asthma and have learned from their own experiences how to respect their diet (most of the time)!�

�Being human, we all take exceptions to our diet.  The difference now is as we get symptoms, we don�t have to be victims to our health any longer, which to me is a huge step in empowerment.  We don�t always want to follow our diets but when we choose to feel good, we know how to get there.� 

My philosophy: �The gift I want to give my patients is empowerment.   By that, I mean with my knowledge and experience, I make recommendations.  If you give them a chance, your body will be your guide and nobody will have to be an authoritarian figure with power over your health. 

When I was first in practice, I had patients who brought their babies to me, and then I didn�t see them for years at a time.  I doubted my abilities as a new Naturopath.  After about five years of practice, I ran into some of them occasionally around town or at the supermarket.  I�d ask them how they were and if my services were not what they expected.  The former patients all said the same thing: �My child isn�t sick!  I have no reason to bring them in!�  I was filled with relief knowing that I was where I was supposed to be, and patients were gaining something from me as a Naturopathic Doctor.

As it is called the �practice of medicine� I get to learn as much from my patients as they do from me.  I hope to continue to share some successes and failures as I encounter them.�
    

Some of you may not know about Naturopathic Medicine.  What is it?  What can it do for me?

�As a naturopath, I am trained in herbs, homeopathy, and nutrition.  I believe nutrition is the foundation of good health.  I do very little homeopathy.  I believe in supporting the bodies� natural healing processes using the premise of �First, do no harm.�  I believe that we are mental, emotional, and physical beings and we manifest physically that which is mental-emotional.  For instance, a person who is high stress and maybe obsessive-compulsive will always manifest with weak adrenals until they can learn to heal themselves.  That could have been a person who never felt loved or felt they had to be perfect in order to be loved.  Throughout the healing process, they can learn that they are lovable so that they can let go of their compulsiveness and stress on the adrenal gland and can heal fully.  The gut and the brain are highly interconnected.  The health of the gut (gastrointestinal tract, stomach, and intestines) play a major role in our immune system.  When I eat foods I am allergic to, I am unable to get into a deep sleep due to the receptors speaking to each other from the brain to the gut.  A lot of people just look at the fact that I can�t sleep, not the interconnectedness.� 

What is the difference in Naturopathic Medicine and traditional medicine?

�The first two years in medical school are almost identical to traditional medical school (Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Pathophysiology) but then we as Naturopaths go on to be trained in how to support the bodies natural healing processes instead of introducing drugs and surgery.  For instance, I don�t know of anyone who is actually deficient in the little purple pill (for heartburn), but many people have gut problems due to food allergies and/or intolerances that lead to the symptoms that cause the heartburn.  By learning about and removing the cause, we can help ourselves heal without the use of prescription medications for most ailments.     


 
My name is Dr. Priscilla Monroe and I serve the greater Sacramento region in California.  I can be found online at www.drpriscillamonroe.comor by contacting me directly at drpjmonroe(at)gmail.com.  I am 61 years old, and very healthy.  My goal is to keep healthy and walking on my feet as long as I can without a walker!  I currently enjoy kayaking, going to the gym, hiking, biking, and paddle boarding.�     



That�s it for our intro.  Any questions, please post them or send them to drmomnaturopath(at)gmail.com regarding the blog.  We will tackle a question and/or topic per week and give you as much information as we can throughout our education journey.

Thanks for reading and we look forward to your involvement and hearing about your own health journey! 

Big red circle on my back!

No, it is not a rash or any other dermatological problem!   Rather, it is the "health" product sales target that comes with being a Naturopathic Doctor.  As ND's practice preventive and proactive medicine, it comes with the territory that sales representatives for neutraceutical companies, weight loss products, energetic products etc, etc, want us to sell their products to our patients (or at the very least, let our patients know that these products exist).  Each week I have one or more sales representatives drop by the clinic asking me to meet with them so they can show me their particular product.  And, every single product is the best product in the world!!

How about some forest through the trees to help establish a little perspective?  There are two considerations that need to be kept in mind: First: number needed to treat and, second: rate limiting.

1. Number Needed to Treat:

For example, how many people with high cholesterol given a Statin medication will it take for one of these people to add one healthy year on to their life?  This is called All Cause Mortality and the research with Statins is interesting on this one!  Especially for women.  Or, from a natural perspective, how many people drinking pH balanced water or sleeping on a magnetic mattress does it take to add one healthy year onto one person's life or improve one person's quality of sleep?  The answer of course is based on indication; is "X" product actually indicated for a person?
 
2. Rate Limiting:

Many patients of mine have a gamut of "health machines" and supplements but still suffer from significant health problems.  Unfortunately, the problem here is these machines and supplements, although not usually harmful, do nothing to improve the symptoms that these patients have.  It is like trying to plug up small holes in a dam to save water when the problem is that it hasn't rained in weeks!  This is the concept of rate limiting - something missing that is stopping an important process.

The point is, we have to draw the line somewhere!  If you walk into a health food store and say, "one of everything please!" this is likely to provide some negative interactions and do more harm than good.  I will typically work with people's own supplemental regimen especially if they are part of a multi-level marketing company and have been lead to believe that x or y is necessary for health.  Naturopathic Doctors determine where health products fit into each person's list of priorities and I make suggestions as to particular importance.

So, before you sign on the dotted line with a direct-purchase neutraceutical company, buy that $3000 machine, or start 6 months of a particular treatment, it would be advisable to consult with an ND who has years and years of education in the natural health field.

Your body works and so does nature!

Two things I have been pondering the past few weeks are the disconnect people have with the amazing capabilities of our bodies and also the natural functioning of nature.

New patients at my clinic are instructed to bring all their medications and natural supplements or botanicals on their first visit so I can ensure there are no interactions.  Additionally, I evaluate each item's indication for that particular patient.  It is not rare for some patients to bring in shopping bags full of regimens of vitamins, herbs and specific nutrients intended to assist, upregulate and support nearly every system in the body.  Then, when I explain that the body has an amazingly brilliant, built in capacity to maintain (homeostasis) the optimal functioning of these organ systems and they most likely do not need to take half of their regimen, some patients think I am being almost sacrilegious! Certainly there is an appropriate time, dose and indication for supplementation but will a grocery cart of items, that are not indicated, add any healthy years to someone's life?

My second observation stems from having my own city lawn for the first time (I grew up on a farm).  How did urban society get to such a place of disconnect from nature where people use their lawn mowers to collect all the grass clippings, send this to the landfill site, and then pay a chemical company to put back on their lawns an inferior synthetic fertilizer replica of what they just sent away?!  And then there are all the chemicals and water required to keep that artificial induced carpet of dark green!

It all comes down to education.  Education about what we do directly to our bodies and indirectly through how we treat the world around us.  I believe teaching is the most important aspect of being an ND.  It takes time but is so worth it!

If you follow our Mountain Health Team Facebook we'll show you some interesting ways to utilize those yellow dandelion flowers (Taraxicum officinalis) in the next few weeks.

Be in the know

I always seem to be amazed that it is the end of the day, and the end of another week or month.  Proof that I am in the right profession!  Now it has already been 2 months since my last blog post.

Well, after practicing for 5 months and having my own clinic since January here in Airdrie, I have noticed several common trends in Canadian health care.  Here is one: No news is not necessarily good news.  That is in regards to your blood work and test results anyways.  I frequently hear this from my patients who have had recent blood work performed by their MD.  "Well I haven't heard anything back so all must be ok."  Unfortunately, Medical Doctors are in massive short supply in my area which results in these professionals being severely overworked. 

As such, I have learned to have my patients release a copy of their recent records to me so we can take a look together.  And unfortunately, I often find values that are not just low-normal or high-normal but values that are even flagged by the lab as out of normal ranges.  Most importantly, these abnormal results confirm a clinical suspicion I had regarding the symptoms and presentation of my patient.

So, these labs are your property and do not feel shy to ask to have a copy.  Your MD is within his/her right to ask that you pay a photocopy fee but they cannot prevent you from seeing your results.  Be in the know! 

Up for Air!

This is one of the first days I have had a chance to even think about taking a moment to write something on this blog.  Since beginning negotiations for the purchase of the Healthy Options Centre in October last year, to taking over ownership on January 1st, and transferring all the business necessities while still seeing patients full-time, 2012 has started out at an exceptionally fast pace.  There just does not seem to be enough hours in the day!  Once again, trying to keep some semblance of a balanced life has been very difficult.  With the stress and pressures I feel like I'm in school again but practicing is just a little more fun!

I am really enjoying Airdrie and have been happy with the openness to culturally relevant, evidence based natural therapies.  Most people seem ready for a more naturopathic approach to health care.

Priorities and Paradigms

Since moving back to Calgary I've been without a dentist and I would really like to find one.  It is certainly not that there is any shortage , but I have had so many bad experiences with dentists in the past that I have to admit that I'm overly cautious.   This is one example why networking is so important.  I find that when people can put a face to a name, and then be reassured and in agreement with my approach towards patient care, it makes a big difference towards building a practice. 

However, one obstacle I've encountered on several occasions recently is price.  "You know I'd really like to see a naturopathic doctor but you are so expensive."  And, some ND's certainly are.  However, I believe the priorities of our society and individual paradigms may be more responsible for this perception than actual price (influenced no doubt by socialized heath care - which I'm thankful for in the case of an emergency). 

My wife came home last night after getting her hair cut and styled.  And, she was $110 more beautiful!  Also, several weeks ago I got Canadian Tire to put my winter tires on rims.  That was $167 exchange just for the labour alone.  That is more than the cost of my 1 hour new patient appointment!  I found out that Canadian Tire charges a basic shop rate of $115 per hour and raises this to $125 per hour when there is any electrical work involved.  And this work could be done by a 19 year old mechanic.

Just to clarify, I am very happy for any 19 year old who has worked hard to become a mechanic and I recognize the responsibility of ensuring an automobile is safe on the road.  However, this is not a health care provider.  So, is it unreasonable to expect to pay 25 to 50 percent more per hour for a naturopathic doctor than a mechanic?(1.)  

I believe that since people are accustomed to conventional health care being free in Canada, it requires both a paradigm shift and a change of priorities to get over the inhibition to pay for health care.  However, when conventional medicine has been unsuccessful in helping with a particular health concern we may need to ask, what do we value more: our car, haircut...etc, or health?

Footnote:
(1.) I should add that if someone came to most naturopathic doctors and really could not afford to pay, and that person was not spending $110 at the hair stylist, most would gladly work something out in that case.